LG Rolling Out Curved OLED TVs in South Korean Market

LG Electronics has begun accepting pre-orders for its 55-inch Curved OLED TV (Model 55EA9800) in South Korea and will start shipping them out next month, the electronics maker announced on Monday. Those hoping to score LG's curved television will have to pony up 15 million South Korean Won (KWR), or about $13,560 USD.

"Our Curved OLED TV is not only the proof of LG’s unmatched leadership in next-generation displays but also a testament to LG’s commitment to bringing to market the most exciting TV technology available today," said Havis Kwon, President and CEO of LG’s Home Entertainment Company.

According to LG, it's the first and only company to commercialize both the flat screen OLED TV, which it started shipping to Korean customers in February, and the curved OLED TV. DisplaySearch reckons the market for OLED displays will grow to 7 million units within the next three years, but it remains to be seen if customers will be willing to pay a premium price tag for luxuries like a curved panel.

Why curved? The idea is to offer to an IMAX-like experience in the home. A curved display also eliminates the problem of screen-edge visual distortion and loss of detail since the entire surface is equidistant from the viewer's eyes, LG says.

The curved TV itself is just 4.3 millimeters (0.17 inches) thin and weighs 37.48 pounds. It uses proprietary WRGB technology and a four-color pixel system that features a white-sub pixel in addition to red, blue, and green.